Dutch kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven has secured a WBC world title shot against Oleksandr Usyk, thanks to a chance meeting with actor Jason Statham. This unexpected opportunity will take place at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Key points
Rico Verhoeven is a kickboxing legend.
He has only one professional boxing bout.
Jason Statham influenced Verhoeven's title shot.
The fight is against Oleksandr Usyk.
It will take place at the pyramids of Giza.
Mentioned in this story
Rico VerhoevenJason StathamOleksandr UsykWBCGiza
Figure caption,
How an undisputed fight at the pyramids of Giza was influenced by Jason Statham
If Saturday delivers the most astonishing upset boxing has ever seen, the history books will have Jason Statham to thank.
A chance encounter with Hollywood's go-to hard man has somehow landed Dutchman Rico Verhoeven - a kickboxing legend with just one professional boxing bout to his name - an unlikely WBC world title shot against heavyweight great Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt.
It began when Verhoeven bumped into Briton Statham - a close ally of Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh - in Las Vegas in September 2024, during the Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez v Terence Crawford fight week.
"I know you can beat a lot of these guys, or maybe everybody," Verhoeven says Statham told him. "I said: 'Yeah, 100%'."
By the next morning, things had escalated. Verhoeven was mid-run on a treadmill when Statham called him.
"'Yo, bro, I put your name out there. They loved it. They're down. They want to do it. They're going to reach out, I give them your number,'" Verhoeven says.
Verhoeven was originally set to face Anthony Joshua but, when the Briton's career was stalled by a serious car accident in November, something even bigger emerged.
On paper, Verhoeven challenging Usyk - a pound-for-pound great and one of the most complete fighters of his era - for the WBC title is absurd.
But Verhoeven believes his inexperience and unpredictability could turn what many see as impossible into reality.
"Usyk has pulled the puzzle of boxing out and put it back together, but I'm not a traditional boxer - I'm a kickboxer," he tells BBC Sport.
"My stance is different, my movement is different and I am a naturally big, athletic guy. When I hit him, he's going to feel a natural 20-kilo weight difference."
From Bergen op Zoom to the big screen - who is Verhoeven?
Verhoeven is an A-list fixture in his home country, and recently wrapped filming on Road House 2 alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. His inner circle includes Kevin Hart and Max Verstappen, and even the King of the Netherlands is a fan.
Away from Formula One paddocks and movie sets, Verhoeven's story began amid a turbulent childhood in Bergen op Zoom, near the Belgian border. Raised initially by his mother, who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, he moved in with his father aged six.
"My dad came from Kyokushin karate," Verhoeven says. "He got injured, started boxing, started kickboxing and people started asking him to teach."
His father coached with intense, unrelenting discipline.
Q&A
How did Rico Verhoeven get a boxing title shot against Oleksandr Usyk?
Rico Verhoeven received the title shot after a chance encounter with actor Jason Statham, who is connected to Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh.
What is Rico Verhoeven's boxing experience before facing Usyk?
Rico Verhoeven has only one professional boxing bout to his name, primarily being known as a kickboxing legend.
Where will the fight between Rico Verhoeven and Oleksandr Usyk take place?
The fight is scheduled to take place at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
What role did Jason Statham play in Verhoeven's title shot?
Jason Statham's connection to Saudi boxing officials facilitated Rico Verhoeven's unexpected opportunity for a WBC world title shot.
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"Back then you're like, 'why can't I do this? All my friends are going to the swimming pool tonight. I got to go and train'. Back then it didn't make too much sense to me, but now I'm super thankful because those were the fundamentals of the discipline I have today."
Despite experiencing periods of painful distance, Verhoeven reconciled with his father before his death.
He also rebuilt his bond with his mother, who passed away earlier this year during his training camp. Processing that grief has provided a sharp perspective on his own role as a parent.
"Now especially having my own kids, it is [about] how are you going balance that," Verhoeven says.
"What are you going to project on them that worked for you? And what are you going project on them that didn't work for you?"
Undisputed v undisputed - Verhoeven defends title shot
Verhoeven's dominance in kickboxing is difficult to overstate.
He held the Glory heavyweight world title for 12 years in a reign spanning more than 4,000 days.
His obsession began aged nine while watching fellow Dutchman Peter Aerts win a world title - the very hero Verhoeven would eventually defeat years later.
Because of his size, finding teenage opponents proved impossible, forcing him to wait until he was 16 to enter the adult ranks.
Within two fights, managers were queuing for his signature and, by 2013, he was the youngest heavyweight world champion in two decades.
Although few question Verhoeven's standing in combat sports, many boxing fans have questioned how he has been handed a world title shot before contenders who have spent years climbing the rankings.
Figure caption,
Oleksandr Usyk on fighting Rico Verhoeven, Anthony Joshua and world title defence
Verhoeven, however, defends the WBC's decision, insisting the bout is entirely justified.
"Like what Oleksandr did within boxing, I did within kickboxing for 12 years," he says. "Defeat everybody and some people multiple times.
"The WBC is also the only organisation that looks at kickboxing and Muay Thai. So for them, they recognised and gave me my credentials."
How Verhoeven has adjusted to boxing
Despite limited experience, Verhoeven is no stranger to the sweet science.
For more than 15 years he has trained under Peter Fury and sparred Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte and UFC champion Tom Aspinall.
"Rico has been boxing with us a long time and he punches like a boxer," Peter Fury says.
"It's always been about boxing to help with his kickboxing, but now it's all about boxing.
"It's great because it's intriguing for me to see how he can adapt with such a great champion."
There have been plenty of stars to cross the divide between combat sports, only to find boxing is a specialist's game.
MMA fighters Francis Ngannou and Conor McGregor are notable examples, though neither enjoyed the sustained dominance Verhoeven achieved in kickboxing.
Verhoeven says the hardest transition has been adjusting to the tempo.
"Kickboxing is so short and the fight is over.
"Now I understand that boxing is more of an art. You have 12 rounds to paint your masterpiece. I love that mindset."
And if that painting is completed in the shadow of the pyramids, he knows exactly who to thank.
"The way I'm going to repay Jason is by doing what I told him I'm going to do," Verhoeven says. "And that's to make history."
